3 Days in Tuscany

The countryside in Tuscany evokes feelings of tranquility and timeless beauty. Bike through vineyards and olive groves to an age old winery for lunch, stay on a working cheese farm and visit the sheep before learning how the cheese is made, or just sit by the pool with a glass of wine and admire the view of rolling hills and cypress trees.

When We Went

Cons - we didn’t use the pool because it wasn’t hot enough for swimming

How We Got to Tuscany

Rental Car - drove from Cinque Terre stopping to see The Leaning Tower of Pisa along the way

Pros - we could stop as desired and were able to stay off the beaten path and drive to activities.

Cons - we got lost a lot. Roads in Tuscany can be very confusing. We received 3 tickets by mail after arriving home for parking in the wrong location. We even watched for the no parking signs along the way and still failed.

Our helmets look out of place here but the tour does include a bit of riding on Tuscan roads with many curves and no shoulder so you will want to wear them. Our tour guide stopped at various churches, vineyards, and olive groves along the way to give us local facts and history.

Our helmets look out of place here but the tour does include a bit of riding on Tuscan roads with many curves and no shoulder so you will want to wear them.

This is the Fattoria Cigliano Di Sopra winery where we stopped for a tour and lunch. You can see the age of the winery reflected in the various barrels used to age the wine. Pro tip, if you hate spiders don't go down those steps. The grounds of this homestead and winery were breathtaking and peaceful.

We also took a tour at a more modern winery nearby with cheese and wine tasting

We stopped in to see the sheep farm (wear shoes that can get muddy) and visited the cheese farm for a tour - pecorino is delicious.

Italian Monopoly in our unit at Corzano e Paterno - I won! Knowing a little Italian comes in handy when no one else does.

We stopped on our drive from Cinque Terre to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We climbed the steps to the top which I highly recommend. Walking tilted is a strange sensation and the steps are worn so smooth that I had to take my shoes off to keep from sliding (I wore sandals). At the top I was amazed at the lack of railing or protection for those ringing the giant bells.

You can enter the cathedral here for free but remember that most churches in Europe require your arms to be covered for entry so if you wear a tank top don't forget a scarf or cardigan for these visits.

Most churches in Europe require your arms to be covered for entry so if you wear a tank top don't forget a scarf or cardigan.

What We Disliked About Our 3 Days in Tuscany

The giant centipede my brother-in-law found on his clothes in his room, yikes. That was a surprise!

The living room in our unit smelled like cat pee. We just closed the door and didn’t use it.

What We Would Do Next Time We Visit Tuscany

Spend a day in Florence sightseeing and possibly take a tour with a Vespa or Fiat 500. These look so fun. Several companies offer them. The 500 Touring Club states that they are the original and the best but they are more expensive. Walkabout Florence is less expensive and kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult. And the same company we did our biking tour through We Like Tuscany also offers these tours.

Take a local cooking class. There are so many options available. Walkabout Florence and We Like Tuscany above both offer them and this tour listed on Viator also takes you to the market to buy the ingredients.

Tags:

Written by Janet Cantrell

Janet Cantrell is based in Montana and founded Radiant Wanderings in 2017. She is employed with the airline industry and enjoys new adventures, lattes, red wine, and dark chocolate. She and her husband Chad have two daughters: Selah and Noel, and a Cavalier King Charles dog named Fletcher.